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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28739289">The ABC's of Bridgerton</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaughtUpInATizzy/pseuds/CaughtUpInATizzy'>CaughtUpInATizzy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>~*~ Bridgerton Stories ~*~ [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bridgerton (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff, Gen, Kid Fic, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Tooth-Rotting Fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:27:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,835</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28739289</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaughtUpInATizzy/pseuds/CaughtUpInATizzy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Little snippets of each time a new sibling was born into the growing Bridgerton family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bridgerton Siblings - Relationship, Edmund Bridgerton/Violet Bridgerton</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>~*~ Bridgerton Stories ~*~ [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114235</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>134</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Colin Bridgerton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I haven't read the books so this is TV-based, I'm sorry if it's not canon-compliant but I really enjoyed writing this! Each chapter will be about the birth of a new sibling starting with Colin.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first sibling Anthony truly remembers being introduced to was Colin. At the age of seven, he was familiar with writing, reading, handling wooden swords for fencing, and riding his pony, Franklin. Anthony was pleased with life thus far and all that it had brought him. He was the firstborn son, set to inherit the viscounty, for one, and his younger brother Benedict was fine company enough for him.</p>
<p>Benedict had never been an older brother before. He was very used to being second-born son, however, and couldn’t say he envied Anthony very much. For one, Benedict got to play with the puppies in the barn while Anthony had to study economics. Benedict had found a passion in languages and art, french and sketching, something Anthony had no time for. Perhaps, Benedict had thought, having a younger sibling could ease the sometimes lonely days he had as a five-year-old isolated by a busy older brother and doting, but similarly busy parents.</p>
<p>Anthony and Benedict were huddled in the nursery listening to their mother scream. One of the maids, Ann, if Anthony remembered rightly, had come in and lit a few candles for them so they weren’t stuck in the dark.</p>
<p>“Is this normal?” Benedict asked from his bed.</p>
<p>Both boys lay rigid.</p>
<p>“I’m sure so,” Anthony said. “Or else we would hear father screaming too, I should think,” But Anthony wasn’t very sure, he couldn’t remember Benedict being born.</p>
<p>“Of course,” Benedict sniffled.</p>
<p>“Don’t cry,” Anthony rolled to his side to look at his younger brother’s bed. “Men don’t, you know,”</p>
<p>Benedict sniffled again. “I’m still a boy,"</p>
<p>“Not for long, soon you’ll be an older brother. We’ll have to protect them because they won’t know how to eat yet,"</p>
<p>“How do they survive if they do not know how to eat?”</p>
<p>Anthony thought on this for a moment.</p>
<p>“They must not need to until they’re grown,”</p>
<p>Benedict lifted his head, shadows flickering across his nose in the candlelight. “Anthony, what if it’s a girl!”</p>
<p>“Then we’ll have to take extra care!” Anthony sat up too, suddenly filled with a fire of his own. “Boys grow to be able to defend for themselves, like you and me, Benedict, but girls never learn how!”</p>
<p>“We’ll teach her!” Benedict was excited at the new and bright prospect of teaching his younger sister to fence with him and Anthony.</p>
<p>“No! We can’t! She’d get hurt, she will surely be very small!” Anthony fretted.</p>
<p>The boys froze, hardly realizing the screams had stopped when footsteps raced into the nursery. Ann skidded in a smile on her face.</p>
<p>“Mr. and Mr. Bridgerton, the viscount and viscountess are asking for you to see them in their room,” Ann moved to help them from bed.</p>
<p>“Why has the baby chosen the middle of the night to come, Ann?’ Benedict asked.</p>
<p>“Some babies are impatient to meet their families, sir,”</p>
<p>Benedict and Anthony puffed up, pleased to hear it.</p>
<p>Both boys had been a bit disappointed to find a baby brother waiting for them in their parents' room, rather than a sister to dote on. But upon consideration, Benedict and Anthony agreed that perhaps they should grow a bit stronger before it came time to defend a baby girl’s honour, and now they would have a third protector at their side.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Daphne Bridgerton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The second eldest of the family, the eldest daughter, is born.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Anthony was eight-years-old when he would meet the other eldest of the Bridgerton family, that is, the eldest daughter. Daphne came into the world when they were in London, on a perfectly bright afternoon.</p><p> Anthony and Benedict had left the house to go to a fencing tournament with their beloved father, Edmund Bridgerton. And when they left all three men could swear that the lady of the house, one Violent Bridgerton, was very much still pregnant. The fencing tournament was held in a grand arena with much of the ton present to bear witness and place bets. Anthony and Benedict were rarely brought to such events, young still as they were, and cheered perhaps a bit too loudly for the man their father pointed out to them as the one he had wagered on. </p><p>It would be the evening when the men of the house would return that all three would hear a baby's cry. </p><p>“Colin has not stopped crying for as long as he’s been born,” Benedict bemoaned. “Why does he do that?”</p><p>Edmund had been standing frozen in the door, his coat half way down his arms and head tilted to the side a notch. “My dear boy that is not your brother crying,” He said, sounding choked by the realization. He pushed between the boys and rushed up the stairs in a dramatic flash of coats.</p><p>Anthony, who had been preparing himself to admonish Benedict’s words against Colin, turned to look at the stairs. </p><p>“Not Colin?” Benedict gaped.</p><p>A housemaid flew to the boys in a flurry of her dark skirt. “Mr. and Mr. Bridgerton we have been trying to find you and the Viscount Bridgerton all day! Where ever have you been?”</p><p>“A fencing tournament, just as we said when we took our leave,” Anthony offered his coat to the maid and she took it.<br/>
“What happened, who’s crying if not Colin?”</p><p>“Miss Bridgerton is crying I believe, sir,”</p><p>“Miss-” Anthony paused before running up the stairs after his father. </p><p>“I do not understand,” Benedict said.</p><p>“Your baby sister, sir, she was born this afternoon.”</p><p>Benedict straightened. “My baby sister!” And he too dashed off up to his parents' room where the baby's cries were now softer and sweet. </p><p>“I can’t believe you missed the birth of our daughter,” Violet cooed at the bundle in her arms, though the soft words were barbed at her husband. </p><p>“We must have got lost in the crowd so the missive never reached me, my heart, please may I hold her?” Edmund’s plea must have softened her to him, because Violet shifted to put the baby into his arms. </p><p>Benedict stumbled to a stop behind Anthony, barely managing to stop himself from knocking them both over in his haste. “What’s her name?” </p><p>Anthony took some steps forward to be able to look down at the baby in his father’s arms. “A girl,” He said in awe.</p><p>Violet laughed, her hand fluttering to her hair where she patted at the flyaways there. “I named her already, considering I was the only one here,”</p><p>Edmund gave a strangled grunt. </p><p>“Daphne Bridgerton,” Violet said. “A name for a great lady,”</p><p>“She’s just a baby, mother,” Benedict said. “She’s not a great lady,”</p><p>“Yet,” Anthony gave a finger to the little girl, utterly charmed. “She’s much prettier than Colin ever was,”</p><p>“That is not difficult,” Benedict gave the baby a look. “But she looks far less red or shriveled than I recall Colin being,”</p><p>Violet and Edmund laughed softly, even as Daphne began to fuss and grizzle once again. </p><p>“Sons, I do believe that it may be time to give back your sister so she and your mother can get much-deserved rest, I should think. I have time to make up with both of them,” Edmund put the baby back in Violet’s arms, running his hand over the downy soft head that had the beginnings of red hair to fluff there.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Eloise Bridgerton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Eloise is born</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Anthony 12<br/>Benedict 10<br/>Colin 5<br/>Daphne 4</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Bridgerton's blue drawing-room had four children in it, as it often did these days in the morning, and today it was only notable due to the distinct absence of any viscount or viscountess. </p><p>	“Where’s mama?” Daphne tugged at Anthony’s leg from where he had laid himself across the powder blue sofa. He had his legs crossed over the other and a book hovering over his face. </p><p>	“She’s getting our new sibling, Daph,” </p><p>	“Yeah,” Benedict said from where he was on the carpet with Colin, between the two were models of little soldiers they had put into battle formations against one another. “Mother and father will be back soon and you won’t be the youngest anymore,”</p><p>	“I want a sister!” Daphne said. “I don’t need any more brothers,”</p><p>	Anthony nodded imperiously. “I quite agree dearest, boys are no good at all,”</p><p>	“Hey!” Colin protested. “Don’t tell her that, she’ll believe it!”</p><p>	Daphne giggled, leaving her brothers a momentary respite before she took up pushing her doll in its lacey pram around the room, singing the same verse of a nursery rhyme on a sweet, by eventually intolerable, loop. </p><p>	Benedict rolled his eyes at Colin who ducked his head and smiled. Then Colin promptly moved one of his miniature canons into a position that would take out three of Benedict's men.</p><p>	“Daphne stop that will you!” Anthony snapped when she was making her third time around the room.</p><p>	“I’m promenading,” Daphne sniffed. “I’m practicing for the baby!” </p><p>	The brothers all glanced at one another. </p><p>	They were saved from answering by a knock at the door and then a maid entering with a curtsy. “I’m sorry to interrupt, the viscount and viscountess are eager for you to meet them in their chambers,” </p><p>	Daphne ran up to the maid, stopping herself short from grabbing onto the woman’s skirt, which she knew from experience would lead to a short reprimand from Anthony. “Is the baby a girl, please?”</p><p>	Anthony came up behind Daphne and scooped her up so she was sitting on his arm, she latched on around his neck. Benedict and Colin fell in line beside their siblings.</p><p>	“I do believe I heard so, Miss,” </p><p>	Daphne, not knowing what to do in her new excitement squeezed Anthony tighter and smacked a kiss onto his cheek. “A girl!” She exclaimed.</p><p>	“Yes, I heard,” Anthony was smiling though.</p><p>	“I wanted a younger brother,” Colin said. </p><p>	Benedict smacked him on the back of his head. “Be quiet Colin, that’s rude,” </p><p>	Colin rubbed the spot. “I’m not rude! I’m honest, mother says so!”</p><p>	“She says that so you’ll tattle for her,” Benedict said.</p><p>	Anthony paid them little mind as he carried Daphne out of the room and to their parents' room. He put her down at the door where she primly knocked.</p><p>	“Come in!” Their father called.</p><p>	Wasting no time, Daphne raced into the room and up onto the bed beside their mother and the new baby. Their youngest sister. </p><p>	“Can I name her?” Daphne asked, looking at the baby over Violet’s shoulder.</p><p>	Edmund laughed. “Well, what were you thinking, dear?”</p><p>	“I like the name Eliza,” Daphne offered. </p><p>	“It does fit the theme,” Violet smiled. “But, sweetheart, what do you think of Eloise,”</p><p>	“Oh, it’s elegant!” Daphne leaned down and kissed the baby's forehead. “Elegant Eloise,”</p><p>	Anthony started when his father clapped his shoulder. Edmund smiled down at him. “What do you think of Eloise, son?”</p><p>	“It’s hard to have an opinion yet,” Anthony teased.</p><p>	“I think she’s wonderful!” Daphne leapt from the bed and into her father's arms.</p><p>	Colin and Benedict, who Anthony hadn’t realized had arrived yet, leaned over their mother and the baby. </p><p>	“She’s small,” Colin gaped. “Very small,”</p><p>	“You used to be too,” Benedict ribbed. </p><p>	“I couldn’t have been!” Colin protested. </p><p>	Baby Eloise squirmed and began to cry, which resulted in all of the children being shepherded out of the room, despite protests of not being able to hold her yet. </p><p>	Once the door had closed firmly behind the four, Daphne bounced back to the drawing-room. “I have to practice with my doll for the baby!” She called behind her when Anthony told her to slow down. </p><p>	None of her brothers had much to say to that.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Francesca Bridgerton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A letter from Benedict Bridgerton to Anthony Bridgerton.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Anthony 13<br/>Benedict 11<br/>Colin 6<br/>Daphne 5<br/>Eloise 1</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dear Anthony Bridgerton,</p>
<p>Brother, I write to you with splendid news. Mother has given birth and we have a new younger sister, Miss Francesca Bridgerton. </p>
<p>As you can imagine Daphne is overjoyed with this. Colin, rather less so. He had been set that this baby would be his younger brother. I feared he might be cold to Francesca or Eloise in this new turn, but he has been soft and kind as ever. </p>
<p>Daphne has begun her tutoring in the piano. She is retched thus far and you are lucky to be at Eaton. Your ears undoubtedly thank you. </p>
<p>I am two years from joining you there and I can not wait to hear your stories come Christmastime. I know Colin and Daphne both miss you terribly and none of us know how to handle Daphne in your absence. Her sweet disposition puts us all at a loss of how to say no, which has roped poor Colin into several tea parties. I suppose it is best Eloise and Francesca are both girls, lest we all be forever forced to entertain her more feminine pursuits. </p>
<p>Mother is overjoyed with us all, as she repeatedly tells any of the women who come to tea recently. I sincerely hope your company at Eaton is much better than any of the young heirs and sons dragged into our drawing rooms. They’re all dreadfully dull and most are brutes.<br/>

Several are set on pestering poor Daphne because she is a girl, they pull her hair and don’t listen to me nor Colin when we tell them to stop. Daphne has taken to punching them in retaliation, but none of us tattle. Colin and I because it is most entertaining to see one of the horrid boys’ noses turn purple, Daphne because I believe she fears being reprimanded for her most unladylike behavior, and the boys because it would compromise their manhood. So as you can see, all is quite well here. </p>
<p>Father has been much stricter with us all, I think because he misses you and your perfection. Hopefully, with Francesca here, he will turn his attention from me. I can hardly stand being prepped to fill in for you should you fail at being viscount one day. You should never die without an heir, dearest brother because I rather long for earlier days when being a second-born son left me in a blissful state of abundant free time. I fear my french is lacking because of these new lessons. </p>
<p>Your brother,<br/>
Benedict Bridgerton</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Gregory Bridgerton</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A letter from Daphne Bridgerton to her brothers Anthony and Benedict, both away at Eaton.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Anthony 17<br/>Benedict 15<br/>Colin 10<br/>Daphne 9<br/>Eloise 5<br/>Francesca 4</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dearest brothers,</p><p>I thought briefly of writing to you separately, but I have recently gotten very busy with the newest arrival in our home. I am excited to announce the birth of my first younger brother, Gregory Bridgerton. I’m sure father's telegram has already reached you both so you know how the house is alive with visitors now. </p><p>Mother has given me much responsibility with Gregory. She says I am rather perfect at holding him. I can not wait for you both to get married soon and have children of your own so I can be an aunt to them. I promise to be the perfect aunt. </p><p>Anthony, I hope you enjoy seeing how my handwriting has improved over the course of the past few letters we have exchanged. I have not been as lucky with my needlepoint, my flowers look very much like bent pink trees. </p><p>Eloise is taken with the book you sent her last, Benedict, she has read it out loud to me several times, sometimes twice in a night. I adore the painted pictures of the rabbit that go along with the story, and so does Colin even if he insists he’s much too old for such things. Colin, Eloise, and Pennelope Featherington from across the way in London all play together rather a lot these days. At least when Colin is not busy daydreaming or fencing or following father around. I think Penelope to be good for Eloise, as Penelope likes to play with dolls even when Eloise does not. Maybe the interest of children will reach our dear sister in due time but for now, I find all of our siblings to be enchanting. </p><p>Even Colin, who has recently become rather stubborn, citing that he is older than me. I know this, of course, but he is adamant that this means I can not do certain things, like tell him when he is wrong. I assure you both dear Colin is very often wrong. If either of you were here he would surely listen to you. Eloise says I should simply punch him, but then I remind myself when it gets tempting that I would be the one to patch Colin up after he got a bruised eye from my first.</p><p>Francesca is so talented you both would be as full of pride as I am when you hear her play the piano. I have gotten much better as of late, but she is a natural even so young. Mother says that when she is grown, maybe Francesca can go off and be a properly trained musician. </p><p>Father and mother are both so busy here now, preparing for your first season Anthony, and I am eager to see all that you will be wearing and who perhaps you might introduce us to as you court.</p><p>I am afraid Gregory cries for me now, and I must tend to him as I fear he might have gotten lonely in my absence.</p><p>All my love,<br/>
Daphne Bridgerton</p>
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